


"but hunger has a way with you..."

by Anonymous



Series: low, keep your head, keep your head low [2]
Category: Dream SMP - Fandom, Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Blood and Injury, Broken Bones, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Panic Attacks, Schlatt is a bastard, Starvation, THERE IS NOTHING ROMANTIC HERE, Temporary Character Death, Torture, Trauma, Whump, but ONLY because sapnap panics, it's minecraft., my only excuse is that there isn't enough karl whump, niki is a badass
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-08
Updated: 2020-11-20
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:41:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,316
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27450643
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: "...there's no telling what you're gonna do..."The best way to control a large group of people is to control their food. But Karl, brave, idiotic Karl, has something to say about that and pays the price dearly.(or, alternatively, karl realises that some things are best left unsaid unless you have an army backing you)Title from Hadestown: "Gone, I'm gone"
Relationships: Floris | Fundy & Niki | Nihachu, Fundy & GeorgeNotFound, GeorgeNotFound & Karl Jacobs, Karl Jacobs & Sapnap
Series: low, keep your head, keep your head low [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1994845
Comments: 18
Kudos: 213
Collections: Anonymous





	1. Frost in summer

**Author's Note:**

> not me making a wholeass fic out of one throwaway line from the original
> 
> this can be read as a standalone, but is set around a week before the events of 'i used to see the way the world could be'

It was a smallish law. Well, not really, but Karl hadn’t really read the pamphlet that had gone around to every house apparently. He’d skimmed through it, but his mind was preoccupied, and he felt tired and achy, so he’d just ignored it. The words ‘food shortages’ and ‘rations’ bounced around in his head, not really linking up or making sense. He’d fallen asleep, completely clueless, and by the next morning, he’d forgotten where he’d put the paper.

Sapnap sighed in relief when he spotted Karl running up to their meeting spot at the podium. Times were weird, and things could happen at any time. God forbid Schlatt get pissed at any of them.

“Did you read the pamphlet?” Sapnap asked anxiously as soon as Karl was within hearing range.

Then Karl had to come up with the least offensive reason for not actually remembering what the paper said. “Uh—” he began eloquently.

Sapnap just waved a hand. “The food one, remember?” Karl didn’t answer, and Sapnap grew more frustrated, voice lowering to a hiss. “He’s rationing the fucking food, Karl!”

Karl’s mouth formed an ‘o’ shape. “To how much?” he whispered back, moving away from the open and to the shade of one of the buildings around. The fucking _air_ had ears, and god only knew where Quackity was roosting at that time. “It can’t be that bad. Right?”

Sapnap’s face told him it was indeed that bad. Actually, as Sapnap listed off the rations that they would be given, Karl’s stomach dropped to his feet. It was _worse._ “We’re _fucked,_ Karl,” Sapnap concluded, slumping against the wall. Karl just stood there in shock.

“That can’t be- _that much for a week?_ That can’t be _legal!_ ” Karl stammered. His head spun with the information. They’d starve to death. They would literally starve to death. Respawn was an option but Karl shivered just thinking about it, and he hoped it would never come to that.

“His word is law, Karl,” Sapnap said grimly, quietly. “Anything he says, goes.”

“We’ll _starve,”_ he whispered brokenly.

It was the truth. No way in hell could they survive a full week on a few, small loaves of bread and nothing else. Karl could recall something he’d read a long time ago, about an illness that, if you didn’t eat enough vegetables, made gums bleed and splotches appear on skin. It killed the victim eventually. He shuddered. No thank you.

“This isn’t right. I-we gotta go and _talk_ to him—”

Sapnap grabbed his shoulders suddenly. “Don’t,” he said softly. “Don’t you dare put yourself in that kind of danger.” Karl’s stomach twisted because his friend was right. Schlatt was unstable and terrifying, despite his intelligence. And he’d seen enough brutality from the guy to have a healthy fear of him. Karl’s eyes wandered away from Sapnap’s intense glare. The grip tightened. “I mean it Karl.” Desperation creeped into his tone. “He won’t just kill you.”

“I know, Sap. I—we’ll see how it goes.” He hugged Sapnap tight. “Things’ll be okay.”

* * *

Things, in fact, were not okay.

A week and a half into the new law, and Karl, among every other Manberg resident, was battling hunger pangs, exhaustion, weakness, the works. Schlatt, in his limited public appearances, didn’t look affected at all. The same couldn’t be said for Quackity, strangely enough. And Karl hadn’t seen George in _days._

Restless and so, so tired, Karl had made up his mind over his course of action. Hunting was forbidden and any crops that weren’t registered food sources were burnt immediately. This wasn’t about conserving food.

It was about control. Sapnap knew it too. So did Bad and Skeppy and everyone else who was living in this stupid country. Then, he went and closed the window and locked the door.

(Despite all of his bravado, Karl was thankful Schlatt couldn’t read thoughts.)

He paced around the house, wearing the carpet down and tugging on the strings of his multicoloured hoodie. The colours comforted him, soothed him with their atrocious brightness which seemed so at odds with the situation. They reminded him of his friends. His friends that were scattered and worn thin because of Schlatt.

He tried not to let the hatred cloud his thoughts.

Karl made the (impulsive) decision two minutes later, after aimlessly pacing around. He’d go directly to the goat bastard and complain to him. He’d push for change for everyone else, damn it.

So he went.

* * *

The White House was bigger than he’d remembered. Or maybe that was the nervousness creeping up his throat, slowly suffocating him. Why was he so afraid? Schlatt couldn’t hurt him that bad.

Right?

Quackity quirked an eyebrow at him. “What is it?” He looked as tired as Karl felt, which was a relief.

“I uh,” he started, stumbling over his words. “I want to see the president,” he got out eventually. “It’s about the new law.”

Quackity looked him up and down with a sort of searching stare. Nothing judgmental or anything. But there was a question in it that Karl didn’t really want to answer. “Put your stuff in a chest. Armour, weapons, the lot,” he said dully, pointing at one of the many chests that lined the lobby. “The president is upstairs. I’ll take you to him.” Karl tried not to notice how dead Quackity sounded.

Complying with Quackity, he shed the armour and dropped the weapons in the chest, feeling uneasy about the proceedings. He didn’t like the idea of being so exposed, but he didn’t exactly have a choice.

Quackity led him up a flight of stairs and to a clean room decorated in white and grey. And there was Schlatt himself, staring out the window in the most dramatic way he could. He didn’t even turn around when he started to speak.

“Quackity. Shut the door, won’t you?”

“Yes Mr President.” The door swung shut. He was trapped.

“What do you want, Mr Jacobs?” Schlatt asked quietly. Karl shifted around on his feet.

“Uh. I was just—how are you by the way? I heard you were pretty busy, and—”

“Spit it out,” he growled.

“Right,” Karl stammered. “I was just, uh, wondering about the new law, Mr President sir. The food one. And I just think it’s…unfair?” he tried, wincing.

Silence. Just total fucking silence. Karl was afraid to _breathe._

Schlatt chuckled a little. The sound chilled Karl to his bones. “Are you questioning my authority, Karl?” Karl blanched and opened his mouth to apologise, but was swiftly cut off when Schlatt turned around. “Who’s the one who makes the rules around here? Huh?”

“You,” Karl muttered, eyes downcast.

“And who am I trying to protect by making these laws?”

Karl swallowed, rebellion on his tongue. “Us.”

“And who shouldn’t be disputing against the laws right now?” His tone was dangerously cutthroat.

Karl stood up straighter. If this wasn’t for him, it was for Sapnap and Skeppy and Bad and all the other citizens who had to deal with this bullshit. “But it’s not fair! We’re going to starve to death and that’s _really_ painful and—”

“You have your respawn set, right? Use that.”

Karl shook his head, stepping back a little as Schlatt walked forward. “It won’t solve the problem. You can’t do this!”

“Oh but I can.” When he snatched his wrist, Karl froze on the spot, blood rushing in his ears, breathing speeding up. “You’re really pissing me off now.” The grip became tight, and not in the friendly way either. Karl could feel his skin bruising. “Mr Jacobs, I hope you realise what you’ve done.”

Karl hadn’t. That was his mistake. “Let me go,” he said shakily. No armour, no weapons. Outnumbered, no way to call for help. “Please,” he added as an afterthought.

“I’m going to give you five seconds to back away from this, Karl.” His tone was hard, his face expressionless. Something wicked shone in his eyes. “Five, four, three—”

“Just change the law, Schlatt!” Karl blurted out, stomach rolling at the mere thought of starvation. His voice was high in incredulity and terror, his knuckles were as pale as his face was and his eyes were blown wide as he tried to wrench himself out of the iron-strong grip. “You can’t fucking do this to us! This isn’t right!” They were face to face, breath tickling each other’s cheeks.

Karl froze when a sharp point pressed against his stomach. Schlatt’s other hand was holding a glinting dagger which was aimed right at his gut. He choked back a cry when it began to dig in slightly, not daring to move an inch. “Keep talking, princess,” he hissed. “I don’t mind killing you right now, but I don’t think that’s a good enough punishment.”

“For what?” Karl whispered, wincing when the point threatened to pierce skin. The hand still in Schlatt’s grip was trembling.

Schlatt was pushing him backwards, toward the door, and Karl could only comply with stiff, small steps. “Speaking against your leader. Quackity, get the cell ready.”

Karl’s vision tunnelled for a split second. “What—”

“But, sir, that’s not really a prison-worthy crime.” Karl couldn’t see Quackity’s face, but his voice sounded oddly…defiant.

Schlatt glared at him. “Quackity. Prepare the cell.”

Silence permeated the air, before Quackity turned on his heel to carry out the order. Something kicked into Karl’s brain and he started struggling in Schlatt’s grasp. “I don’t-I can’t—stop! Let me go, Schlatt!”

He flipped the dagger up and pointed it directly at Karl’s throat. “Quit it, fucker.”

So Karl quit it. Better him than anyone else, he supposed, being jostled across the corridor, through a hidden door and down a spiral staircase, descending deep underground where no one could find him again. Karl tried not to cry at the thought, but it was an uphill battle.

That is to say, impossible.

The cell awaited him, an iron door with a small, rectangle cut out near the top which was blocked off by thick iron bars. His mind screamed at him to protest, but fear of Schlatt’s knife lived in his head, blocking off all of his thoughts of survival. With a screech, the door was opened, and he was thrown in unceremoniously.

Karl hit the back wall with the force of the shove, his shoulder soaking up most of the impact. “Leave us alone, Quackity. I’ll lock the door myself.” The sound of retreating footsteps, almost hesitant, filled the air, stirring the tension. He was alone with a dictator. Karl turned around slowly, hands gripping the hem of his hoodie.

“What do you want with me?” His voice quivered.

Schlatt shut the door. “I don’t _need_ anything with you,” he snarled. Karl took a step back, but was blocked by the wall. He felt himself backing into a corner and brought his hands up in front of his face. To protect or to attack, he wasn’t sure. But the answer was clear when Schlatt aimed the first blow, a punch, straight to his jaw.

Karl wasn’t quick enough. The pain, sharp and reverberating, spread across his face quickly, making his eyes water. Karl fought back, swiping at the offender with his hands in a desperate attempt to ward off any other attacks.

Schlatt chuckled, and the sound grated on his ears. Something heavy and distinctly metal swung through the air. Karl opened his eyes, his gaze landing on the metallic rod, a tool most likely, but Karl couldn’t place it through the haze of hunger in his mind. “Wait,” he whispered, stumbling over his words. There was nowhere to go. His eyes darted to around Schlatt. If he could get around then things could be okay. “Don’t do this. Sch—Mr President, _please.”_

He raised the pipe. “Take your jumper off.”

“Wh-what?”

Schlatt slammed the pipe against the wall. The sound drew a terrified screech from Karl. “Do it!” Karl fumbled around, fingers trembling as he pulled his hoodie over his head and gave it to Schlatt who tossed it outside.

Then, he raised the pipe high and true panic clouded his mind as he whipped his arms up to protect his face It smashed right across his forearms, and dropped them on instinct, crying out in pain. “Stop!” he shrieked. “Stop, please!”

But Schlatt just smiled. “Think of this as, uh, setting an example.” He raised it high again and brought it down, hard, this time catching him on his shoulder. Karl tried to push him away, fingers curling around the pipe in an effort to wrench it away from his skin amidst the fear clouding his mind. But Schlatt only took Karl’s wrist and _twisted,_ earning another shriek.

The pipe came down on his elbow. It exploded in pain and Karl could’ve sworn he’d heard something crack. Schlatt grabbed at his hair while he was distracted and slammed it against the stone wall mercilessly. Once. Twice. His vision spun and Karl made a sound between a groan and a sob as Schlatt threw him to the ground. Blood, sticky and wet, slowly trickled down the back of his neck.

He reached out blindly through the haze of tears. “Plea-please,” he got out through stilted breaths.

Nothing. Not even a smile in his direction, before the metal hit his cheek and he screamed out again. His vocal cords were shredding in the process as his head snapped to one side. “Shuddup.” Something that wasn’t metal, a boot, hit his stomach. He curled in on instinct, huddling against the wall.

“ _St-stop_!” he sobbed when Schlatt grabbed another fistful of his hair and dragged him away from the wall, not even letting go as he pushed a foot down on Karl’s chest. Piercing pain filled his thoughts. Schlatt was pushing too hard, too fast. His hands scrabbled at the foot, trying to pull it off of him. They were met with the sickening _thwack_ of metal hitting flesh and Karl let go, tears streaming down his face as he dropped his limp, broken hands. The pressure on his chest made it hard to breathe and he gasped uselessly, legs still kicking in its death throes.

But then the pressure is alleviated, and Karl could see again. He blinked, once, twice, feeling the warm tears slide down his cheeks at the sudden reprieve, not daring to say a single word in the deceptive calm. 

It was broken when that same boot came crashing down on his chest again, _hard._ Karl shrieked, squirming to get away when he heard something crack. The boot came down once more, and this time, Karl was sure something _broke._ Snapped like a fucking chicken bone, and he just _screamed,_ so full of terror and pain that it echoed off the stone walls and rung in his ears.

“I think that’s enough for today.” _For today for today for today—_ “Don’t worry. I’ll be back.”

And he just walked out, smirking to himself when he heard the pitiful whimper from inside as answer, and ascended the stairs after making sure the door was secure.

Karl was in dull, throbbing agony, lying on the stone ground. He couldn’t get up. His ribs protested heavily against movement. Blood, sticky and warm, trailed down his cheek like a tear.

He stared up at the ceiling, breathing slowly through his mouth. _In, out. In, out._

“Help,” he breathed at the empty air. His fingers ran over the uneven rock, slippery with his blood. Fatigue had set in, and he could feel his eyes sliding shut against his own will. “He-lp,” he repeated, breath wheezing, teeth beginning to chatter as his blood grew cold.

Maybe he’d die there, and wake up in his own bed as if it were nothing but a bad dream.

* * *

_“Hey Quackity. You seen Karl?”_

_An averted gaze, a curl in his shoulders. “No.”_

_“Oh.” Sapnap looked down at the ground. A poppy resided at his feet. “Any idea where he could be?”_

_“Nope.” The answers were curt and short, and Sapnap_ knew _he was lying. “I gotta go now. See you around.”_

_“Bye.” He was left alone in the street and wandered off, back to his house._

_He’d need to pay George a visit._

* * *

His dreams were warm, filled with laughter and sunshine from the time before the wars. Which was why he went into shock when his world was plunged into icy cold.

Jolting up despite his protesting ribs, Karl shrieked as freezing water was dumped onto him. His head slammed into the adjacent wall and his limbs flailed for an escape. Distantly, he heard laughter.

“Rise and shine, Princess. It’s a brand-new day.”

_Schlatt. Right._

Karl, trembling head to foot, gripped the stone underneath his chest and pushed himself up slowly, slumping back against the wall with a muffled groan as his body protested. He swiped at his eyes clumsily with aching fingers and stared up at Schlatt. “Wh-what you do you wa-want?”

Schlatt crouched down in front of him, just out of arms reach. “Just wanted to see how you’re going.” He smiled unpleasantly. “Wouldn’t want you to die, would we?”

He responded by hunching over himself more, tucking himself as tightly into the corner as he could manage. “Leave-leave me alo-lone.”

He didn’t. He only crept closer. “Now why would I wanna do that with my favourite prisoner? See, after Tubbo left,” (Karl very well knew Tubbo didn’t just leave but was murdered) “I got a bit lonely. Quackity’s not great company and George isn’t even around that much.” Karl could see where the conversation was going, and he felt vaguely ill. “Would you like to be my right-hand man? My, uh, secretary of state?”

Schlatt knew the answer. Surely. But he probably didn’t think Karl would be dumb enough to refuse, because his face scrunched up in rage and Karl curled in tighter. “G-go away. I do-don’t wanna be-be part of th-this war.” _Much less, on your side._

“You don’t have a fucking _choice._ ” Schlatt stood up and turned away. “Either you join me, or you become the example.”

Karl refused to budge and shook his head firmly. “Fine.” Schlatt ran a hand through his hair, fingers rubbing the tip of his curling horns in a sign of frustration. “Fine. Have it your way. Fucking starve in here.”

A little part of Karl wanted so bad for him to stay, to keep the monsters in the dark away. But then he had to remind himself that Schlatt was one of those monsters. His heart ached with the rest of his body and his throat closed off. But he refused to cry.

“Okay,” he whispered to Schlatt’s retreating back.

The door shut with a screech that sent a violence shiver down Karl’s spine. He was alone, finally. Alone with the cold and the pain and the darkness, wishing he wasn’t.

* * *

_George had only just arrived from his two-day ‘mining trip’._

_(That’s what he told Schlatt anyway, but that was because he didn’t think the president would condone illegal interdimensional travel for the sole purpose of overthrowing him. It was fine. Slime had given him a stack of diamonds to show for it.)_

_How he’d missed that much, he wasn’t sure._

_To his relief and mild fear, it was Sapnap who visited him first. Well, not visit exactly. He was pulled off the streets as soon as he set foot into Manberg and into the shade of an oak tree. Sapnap stared at him, partly disbelieving and guilt stabbed at George’s heart. It had been a while since they’d talked._

_“Uh. Any news on Dream?”_

_George shook his head. No one had heard from him for ages now. “What’s wrong?”_

_Sapnap pursed his lips. “Schlatt won’t feed us and Karl’s disappeared._

_Right. He had a vague memory of Schlatt mentioning how he wanted to start rationing food just in case. George hadn’t fought it when it was brought up the first time because it was so ridiculous that he didn’t think it would actually go forward._

_But now, walking through the streets of an eerily quiet Manberg with Sapnap who looked like shit, George wished he’d at least_ tried _to combat it._

_Too late now. He needed to report to White House soon anyway, and he couldn’t risk being seen with Sapnap. So he nodded a goodbye to his friend and turned away, ignoring the hurt in his eyes. It was fine, he told himself. It would be over soon._

* * *

Karl could hear the footsteps coming back down. Not just one person either. Two by his guess. So he propped himself up and tried to look alert despite the fact that he’d been trying to nap for the last few hours with little success despite his drowsiness. It would be okay. It would be fine.

But Karl couldn’t stop his stomach rolling at the thought of facing Schlatt again.

A quiet voice, not Schlatt’s but sounding achingly familiar, started to softly weave its way through the air toward him. It pulled him out of his sleepy stupor, getting him to peal open his eyes blearily. Karl stared at the door, but still flinched away when it began to open. A chill rolled in. Or was it always there judging by the way he barely reacted? Fuzzy shapes appeared in the doorway which he could identify as people.

A soft gasp punctured the silence. “Shit,” the same voice hissed. “What the _fuck,_ Schlatt?”

“I did what I had to do—”

“You didn’t fucking have to do _this!”_ A hand, softer than Schlatt’s, and warmer as well, touched his forehead. He leaned into it subconsciously. “He’s _freezing,_ you idiot!”

“He’ll be fine.” Schlatt was coming closer and Karl couldn’t help the whimper of mingled pain and fear that escaped his lips. He shied away from the threat approaching. The person in front of him shifted so that he filled his whole field of vision.

Schlatt’s footsteps stopped a few feet away. “Don’t come near him. I don’t trust you.” The hands manoeuvred Karl’s upper body up onto something warm and soft. Clothes, by his guess. Something harder, metal armour probably, touched the crown of his head. “Why is he so light?”

The second voice was flat, quiet. Through the cotton in his brain, he felt a vague sense of safety. This stranger meant safe. Like Sapnap.

No, he couldn’t think about Sapnap without his stomach twisting horribly.

“Just a little bit of hunger probably. You know the law I passed—”

“Oh I’m very aware,” the voice all but spat. Karl cringed inwardly, suddenly terrified for this person who was so confident in speaking out against a dictator like this. “You can’t keep this up, Schlatt. Imprisoning anyone who speaks out because of your mistakes.”

Karl could practically taste the grating tension in the air. “Know your place George. Just because you have immunity doesn’t mean I have to treat you like a king. You’re getting on my nerves.”

“Good. I’m as part of this as Quackity is and I have my own rules for how this place should be run. So _maybe_ we should work together.”

“Well _maybe_ you should stick around more often!”

The stranger breathed deeply, once, twice, thrice. “We’re settling this upstairs.” Karl, to his infinite dismay, was carefully slid off of the lap and back on the ground. “I’ll be back,” the voice promised gently as the stranger stood and walked away.

“Ngh-no,” he stuttered softly, hand shaking violently as he stretched it outward. But the stranger didn’t turn around. “Wa-wait-t!”

The door slammed shut and Karl was alone with only the echo of his words bouncing around the walls to keep him company

* * *

_George was furious to say the least, fist clenched to stop it from shaking, to stop him from pummelling Schlatt into the ground. How dare he? How fucking_ dare _he? Karl’s broken body, his blue lips and fragile frame was still branded into his mind’s eye and only fuelled his rage further._

 _Schlatt was going to_ pay.

_But first, he needed to get him out somehow. And he had a niggling feeling that it wouldn’t be easy. He’d need to try though._

* * *

“Oh, Karl~” a certain voice sang.

Shivering, teeth chattering so badly he couldn’t speak, Karl forced his frozen, aching muscles to fucking _move,_ recognising that voice only as ‘danger!’. His addled mind refused to work faster than a snail’s pace, sluggishly trying to process the world around him. He opened his mouth, lips dry and parched, croaking out something unintelligible.

“You don’t look so hot there, huh? Let’s wake you up.” No sooner had the words been uttered, Karl felt a familiar, terrible sensation of icy cold water being dumped over his head. He yelped and flailed around, numb fingers smacking the stone walls. Groaning softly, he curled up tight, drenched and shivering. A bucket clattered to the floor. “Get up.” A foot caught his stomach, wrenching his arms away. Pain blossomed over his forearms. “Come on,” the voice encouraged in mock sympathy. The foot kicked him again, this time landing square on his chest. A choked scream escaped him, and he could _feel_ something crack again. 

“St-stop-p,” he whispered hoarsely through lips that felt too big. There was a cruel laugh and a hand gripped onto his hair and yanked him upward. Karl sprung up like a ragdoll, neck aching as it was pulled straight, small sounds of pain slipping through his chattering teeth.

He opened his eyes, and saw the looming figure cast in shadow above him, outline fuzzy and unfocused. The only thing that registered in Karl’s mind was _fear._

The hand gripping his hair moved down so the palm was resting on his forehead and jolted it forward. His head smashed into the wall, drawing a strangled scream from Karl. The old wound had reopened, and blood made its way down the back of his head again. Shiver-spiders crawled their way up his back. “You’re not even gonna fight back?”

The calloused hand, cold and wet, closed around his throat and squeezed and all Karl could think about was how he’d only wanted to _help,_ and he was paying a price he didn’t _deserve_ and that he never wanted this.

Air didn’t reach his lungs and Karl could feel his throat being crushed as he kicked and squirmed weakly, trying to fight back with limbs that twitched and cramped. His vision began to black out slowly, darkness creeping around the edges. A horrible, wet, choking sound filled his ears. He vaguely registered that he was the one making it.

Another voice yelled out. Not his, or Schlatt’s. Higher in pitch, filled with rage and with a slight, protective edge to it. Comforting.

The pressure on Karl’s neck disappeared and he gasped for air, shuddering convulsively. Colour and light filled his vision again, and it wasn’t black and white above him, but bright blue. He reached out a hand and latched onto the soft fabric of a shirt. Faintly, through the blood rushing in his ears, he could make out a gentle voice and warm hands.

“Get out! …release him…fuck you!” the new voice yelled. One set of footsteps disappeared up the staircase, and suddenly, Karl was being hoisted up and was startled by the lack of ground anywhere around him. He was put on his feet where he immediately buckled, vision swooping as he began to tumble down. The warm hands caught him, steadied him, practically carrying Karl out of the cell, up the stairs.

“Sap-Sapnap?” Karl slurred, head lolling around.

“…no. But you’ll see him soon.”

That was all the answer Karl needed as the world slipped away.


	2. Thawing out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Niki is still a goddess, Sapnap panics, Karl hates the dark, Fundy is gaining grey hairs at a rapid pace, George is tired and stressed, Quackity deserves better and Ponk is so fucking confused.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is all platonic. i know i mentioned it in the tags but i wanted to make it really clear. p l a t o n i c

_George walked out of the White House, feeling Schlatt’s eyes burning holes in the back of his skull. Schlatt would try to find Karl again, make their lives hell again. He’d need to lay low for a day, but quiet, vicious vindication rushed through him as he marched away into the night. Quackity met him at the gates, giving him a half smile and bearing a small bag and a blanket which he draped over Karl. “Be safe,” he whispered, looping the straps of the bag around George’s forearm._

_George smiled, a little strained, at him. “Thank you,” he murmured back. Quackity averted his gaze, and it struck George how_ young _he was. “Hey,” he said, touching his arm gently. “Trust me when I say this’ll be over soon, yeah?”_

_A little confused, Quackity nodded, before disappearing back into the White House without looking back._

_George shook his head. He needed to focus._

_In terms of where he could take Karl, there were only a few options. Sapnap was out of the question. Spending time with him only dug the grave deeper. Many people in the country would turn him away at first glance for fear of their own safety._

_But there was one person who was in Schlatt’s good graces and who wouldn’t be too severely punished if caught. George made up his mind. He needed to move quickly if Karl had a shot at surviving the night. Respawn after this would be hell._

_He could only move so fast with an unconscious man attached to his side, but George made good time, limping toward the front door of the unassuming house and knocking three times with bated breath._

_Footsteps approached quickly and the door swung wide open. George was standing face to face with orange fur and pointed ears and lamp-like eyes that were wide with confusion. “Wh-_ George? _” Fundy exclaimed. “Is that Karl? What happened?_

_George nodded and shifted his weight. “Schlatt,” he said breathlessly. The water from Karl’s clothes were dampening his own, and he was fairly sure Karl was also leeching off his heat as well. His eyes burned in a mixture of fury and hollow sadness, but he blinked it back. “I need you to take him in, Fundy.”_

_He just gawked at George. “Me?” he spluttered. “I barely know him!” Fundy’s ears were pressed against his skull in fear and George could catch his eyes shifting around behind him. “George, Schlatt’ll—”_

_“Barely touch you,” George finished calmly. “I’ll make sure of it. You just have to treat Karl and hide him for a day or two.”_

_“Why not Sapnap?”_

_George stiffened slightly. “I’m not putting him in danger.”_

_Fundy bristled. “Oh, so you’re fine with me risking my neck?”_

_“Because you’re already on his good side!” Fundy reeled back and George winced. Right. Soft spot. “Listen. Just help me this one time and I’ll owe you whatever you want. Within reason,” he added as an afterthought. God forbid Fundy make him go and talk to Wilbur._

_“Am I allowed to think about it?” George shook his head and shifted his weight onto the other foot. Karl moaned softly as the movement disturbed his ribs._

_Something flashed in Fundy’s eyes. His ears pricked up slightly. “It’s now or never.”_

_George needn’t have worried. With a final, furtive glance over George’s shoulder, Fundy stepped aside and ushered the two of them in, shutting the door behind them. “You can put him on the bed. I’ll go get Niki.” He looked up at George. “Will you be staying?”_

_“No. I’m going to try and lead Schlatt away from Karl for the time being.” George laid Karl down tenderly and placed the backpack next to him before rummaging through his inventory and pulling out a netherite chestplate, heading to the door._

_“Alright,” Fundy muttered. He lay a hand on Karl’s forehead and frowned. “He’s so cold.” George released a shaky breath. It would be okay. Karl was in good hands._

_“And Fundy?”_

_“Hm?”_

_“You can’t let_ anyone _know it was me who brought him to you.”_

_Fundy frowned deeper. “But Schlatt—”_

_“This isn’t about Schlatt,” George snapped, before composing himself. “It’s just…safer. This whole conversation is between you and me.”_

_Fundy couldn’t understand completely, but he didn’t question it, and nodded once. “Alright then. See you around, I suppose.”_

_“Stay safe,” George said, walking out the door and shutting it behind him. He was headed to his own bunker for the night. Schlatt would be more bearable in the morning, he decided. “Remember. No one, not even Karl, knows it was me.” His brow furrowed for a moment before shooting up. “And do_ not _let Sapnap fight Schlatt when he finds out. Please.”_

_Fundy’s head spun slightly with all the things he had to remember, but he nodded, nonetheless. “You have my word, George.”_

* * *

The cold was disappearing. Karl was thankful for that, despite the fact that he didn’t know where the honk he was.

He blinked in the soft, golden light. It wasn’t stone that surrounded him, but wood. The earthy tones were comforting, and filled the air with its welcome aroma. There were other smells too. The faint one of watermelon, baking bread (his stomach growled and clamped painfully; he couldn’t remember the last time he ate) and woodsmoke. Warm, safe smells. The place was unfamiliar (Karl didn’t recognise the walls, the décor), but safe. Thready, pinkish sunlight filtered through the windows. He was safe.

Movement hurt thought. He turned his head only a little bit, before his neck began to ache. The pain was deep and penetrating, spreading throughout his body and awaking his other nerves as the rest of his body caught up. And suddenly, everything else began to ache as well.

A helpless tear slipped from his eyes as he groaned weakly, breath catching in his throat. “Karl?” a voice called out cautiously. Soft footsteps approached. Karl didn’t recognise the voice and swallowed against the dizzying wave of crippling fear. An orange and white face covered in fur filled his vision. “Hello? You awake? Hey, Niki!” he called.

Fundy was his name. Karl remembered that from the brief conversations they’d shared once upon a time. Another set of footsteps appeared. A woman, this time, peered down at him. She looked tired. “Are you in pain?” she asked, voice soft and lilting.

Karl nodded once, lip trembling. Tears were gathering at the corners of his eyes. He didn’t want to be here. He wanted proper safety. He wanted _Sapnap._ The woman nodded and picked up a bottle off somewhere, holding it up to the light for him to see it properly. Pink laced with iridescent gold.

A soft hand gently lifted Karl’s head up (the sudden movement was excruciating, and elicited a broken little sob) while the woman pressed the bottle to his lips. He drunk greedily, the cool taste of watermelon mingling with the flecks of numbing gold in it. Immediately, he could feel the soothing affects. The pain lessened and he could feel his head clear as he scanned his surroundings. He seemed to be in a bedroom of sorts, large enough to hold everyone comfortably and with a single door leading out.

Schlatt lingered at the edge of his mind, but he refused to open that door. He couldn’t, not without breaking down completely.

So instead he stared at the knots in the wooden walls, the patterns and the way they swirled around each other, drowning out the chatter around him. Until a name caught his interest.

“…we should probably grab Sapnap,” the woman was saying, and Karl couldn’t help the sudden jolt he felt as he looked at her hopefully. She caught his gaze and held it with a kind smile. “Go run and get him, Fundy,” she said quietly.

Fundy the fox (ha) glanced between the two and nodded jerkily. “I’ll be back soon.” He hugged her suddenly, so quickly that she didn’t even have time to react before he pulled back and sped toward the door. “Stay safe, Niki.”

Niki only shrugged and came toward Karl to sit down next to him as the door slammed shut. “How are you feeling?” she asked him, her eyes scanning his face. “I’m not going to lie—” her accent was lovely, lilting and soft— “I didn’t think you’d make it. But we’re glad you did.” She sounded faintly nervous. “You don’t have to say anything now, but we will have to know what Sch—what _he_ did to you.”

Karl understood, giving her a nod. He was relishing in the warmth that surrounded him on all times. He registered that he was wearing his hoodie again. Where had they found it? “Where?” he asked, tongue thick in his mouth.

“Fundy’s house. You’re safe here. Much safer than your home.” Why? The question hung in the air, but Karl didn’t voice it. There were probably a few reasons. Well, granted, not very many places were safe anymore. “You’re okay to rest here for the next few days.”

That sounded good. Karl didn’t think he had it in him to do anything but rest.

The door swung open all of a sudden. A blur of black and white and orange zipped toward the bed. Niki only just got out of the way before Sapnap was hovering over Karl, expression stricken with silent fear. “What happened to him?” he asked, tone as sharp as a whip.

Fundy bristled, standing next to Niki who looked on calmly. “Schlatt happened. He—” she trailed off when she met Karl’s eyes. “I’ll tell you later,” she muttered. “But _please_ try and calm down for his sake.”

Sapnap opened his mouth, looking absolutely furious. Karl, slowly, lifted his hand from underneath the sheets and grabbed a hold of his shirt. “Sapnap,” he whispered. He stopped, took a breath and turned to Karl, gaze softening.

“Yeah,” he replied thickly, “yeah I’m right here.” He slumped into a chair and gently extricated Karl’s grip on his shirt, instead holding the hand in his own. Sapnap’s eyes traced Karl’s face, neck and bandaged fingers. “How are you doing?” he tried.

Something choked Karl’s voice off. He gave a watery smile, pulling Sapnap’s hand closer to him. The human contact burned his freezing skin. Or maybe that was because Sapnap was always hot, like fire. “Better,” he mumbled. “Tired.”

“Then you should probably sleep,” he said gently, carding his fingers through Karl’s hair. Karl could’ve _cried._ He could feel his eyes drooping already, could feel the warmth in his chest spreading outwards. “I’ll stay with you for as long as you want, yeah?”

“Yeah.”

* * *

_It was only a little bit after Karl had fallen asleep that Niki had filled Sapnap in on everything she’d found. Broken ribs, fingers, bruising everywhere, internal bleeding, hypothermia. She’d kept a blank face on the whole time, but Fundy could see the consternation in her eyes. The horror and shock of the whole thing. He felt empty. Void of anything. He wondered if Schlatt would mention it the next time they all met. Fundy might puke if he did._

_Sapnap on the other hand…enraged was too tame a word. His eyes were practically glowing red with rage. Fundy felt a jolt of pity for Schlatt which was quickly replaced with vindication. “Sapnap,” Niki said softly, voice always so kind despite circumstance, “he’ll be fine. But he’ll need you with him.”_

_It didn’t seem like Sapnap was listening. “I’ll fucking_ kill _Schlatt,” he gritted out, standing up. Fundy remembered George and the promise he’d made, and sighed, padding unnoticed to the door. Sapnap unsheathed his sword. Niki hid her flinch, but backed Fundy up. “Move.”_

_Out of the Dream Team, Sapnap was the hothead. He’d had the most deaths, and the majority of them were from him being brash and idiotic in his decision making. Dream was smart and George was cautious. Sapnap was…well neither of the above, and while he was a good fighter, he didn’t tend to make the best choices in battle._

_That was common knowledge. George had predicted this easily, which was why he’d told Fundy to keep him out of trouble. “No,” Fundy said flatly. “It’s too dangerous.”_

_Sapnap scoffed. “Since when did you care?”_

_Fundy cross his arms over his chest, glaring him down. “Since Karl came to me, half-dead because he spoke out against Schlatt. Believe me, I’ve no intention of being buddy-buddy with you either, but I don’t want anyone else to go through_ that.” _He looked over at Karl, still peacefully conked out. The healing potions had done their work._

_“I won’t go through that. I’ll fucking destroy him before he gets the chance!”_

_“You won’t, because the guy has guards. You know, Ponk and Punz? The ones that’ll cave your head in as soon as you raise an axe to the president?” Agitation crept into his tone._

_He cackled, a little manic. “I thought you were one of them, Fundy?”_

_Fundy just froze, stiffening completely. “Low blow,” he muttered, trying to figure out whether or not it would be safe to mention Pogtopia. It wouldn’t. Schlatt had ears everywhere. “That doesn’t mean I wanna see people get hurt like this.” Niki placed a steadying hand on his back, and he felt himself stand up straighter._

_Sapnap raised his sword slightly. Just to intimidate. Fundy felt his hands began to shake as unpleasant memories crowded his mind, reminding him of old scars and wars, but he waded through them. “Just get out of the way!” he roared. Karl whimpered in his sleep, and they all froze._

_“No!” Fundy shot back with equal verve. “George told me—” Fundy cut himself off, but the damage was done._

_The sword was lowered and something indescribable entered Sapnap’s gaze. “What about George?” he asked, tone edging on hysteric._

_Fundy took a step back. “N-nothing!” His hands were raised placatingly, and his eyes shifted around, looking for an escape. “I said nothing,” he stated, firmer this time._

_Sapnap was not impressed. “What did you say about George?” he asked harshly. The weapon was sheathed, and Fundy caught it shaking. “Did he talk to you? What did he_ say? _”_

 _“We talk because we’re_ colleagues _, so nothing interesting,” Fundy gritted out._

_Sapnap’s mouth stretched into a grin, a tad bit unhinged. “So he said nothing about me?”_

_“No,” Fundy said without thinking._

_“So there’s nothing stopping me from murdering Schlatt.” The sword was pointed at his chest. “Move, fucker.”_

_Fundy took out his crossbow, aiming it at the floor. “Do_ not. _”_

_“You literally don’t care! We fought each other! Let me die if that’s what it takes!”_

_“I_ won’t _do that, Sapnap!”_

_Karl was awake, gripping the blanket tightly with both hands. Something in Niki just snapped._

_“Both of you shut up!” she cried. The piercing end note was enough to grab their attention. Fundy blinked once, twice and dropped his crossbow. Sapnap lowered his sword, the fire in his eyes dimming slightly. “Can’t you see how ridiculous you’re being?” Sapnap opened his mouth, but cut himself off at the poisoned glare Niki shot his way. “Your life is not worth petty revenge. You will not fucking_ waste _it when your friend needs you most.”_

_Sapnap had the grace to look somewhat ashamed. “I want to stop it! He’ll just do it again—”_

_“Yeah,” she spat bitterly, “yeah, he will. He’ll do this over and over and over, until we submit to him. But you listen here. We will_ never _submit to that bastard. We will never stop fighting.”_

_“Niki,” Fundy said nervously, glancing around his house. God forbid anyone hear those traitorous words. “Keep it down, please.”_

_When Niki bared her teeth at him, looking terrifying, Fundy recognised that she simply would not let Schlatt take her away. She would simply rip him apart with her bare hands if need be. “Let him hear it, Fundy. Let the whole world hear it.”_

_She truly didn’t care then. Fundy could respect that. That didn’t stop him from being afraid out of his mind, but he respected it._

_Now if only she’d stop yelling about it._

_“Okay, Niki,” Fundy said placatingly, his ears twitching, “that’s great and all, but I think you should sit down. You too, Sapnap. You must be tired.” Fixing him with a withering glare, Niki grabbed a loaf of bread out of the oven in the main room and gnawed on it while still standing. Fundy winced. “Or…that. It’s fine. Sap?”_

_Karl shot him a pleading look, and Sap sighed. “Yeah. I’ll stay too.”_

_“Great. Good. Wonderful. I have to leave in, uh,” Fundy checked the clock which was pointing at around seven hours after midnight, “well, now. So I’ll have to leave you two alone for a bit. Please don’t call any authority figures toward my house while I’m gone.”_

_Niki huffed a humourless laugh. “I’ll try not to.”_

_“Thank you.”_

_“Hey Fundy?” Sapnap sat right next to Karl’s head, hunched over his friend so that his face was hidden. “Say hi to George for me?” There was nothing biting in his tone. Just quiet, solemn resignation._

_Fundy wasn’t sure how much George would appreciate it, but nodded anyway. “I will. See you two later.”_

_And he left, leaving them alone tother, which was probably a terrible idea._

* * *

This was fine. It was _fine._ In Karl’s opinion, as long as he was far away from the White House, everything would be okay.

Obviously, things were a little different. He’d never really had the cause to talk to Niki or Fundy before then, but he was getting to know them quite nicely now. He wondered how much of the puzzle Niki was able to piece together from just having to heal him. He wasn’t entirely sure if he wanted her to know.

Sapnap did. It was obvious in the agitation in his tone, the snappish comments, the tense way he bunched up his shoulders.

“What’s with the long face?” Karl asked in his hoarse voice, nudging Sapnap’s shoulder.

Something pained crossed his face. “Karl, what—”

Karl booped his nose, giggling at the hesitant laugh that he coerced out of his friend. “Seriously, you moping is one of the weirdest things I’ve ever seen. You should stop.”

Sapnap rolled his eyes, corners of his mouth twitching upward. “What are you gonna do to make me stop, Jacobs?”

In answer, Karl dove forward and tackled Sapnap in a hug that barely shifted him. He caught Karl with a surprised shout, smiling wider when he refused to let go, burrowing his face into his shoulder. “You’re comfy,” Karl whispered.

“Don’t go falling asleep on me,” Sapnap lectured half-heartedly, despite moving onto the bed to make it more comfortable.

Karl giggled again and Sapnap hugged him tighter in response. “You can’t stop me you nimrod. I’ll trap you here forever.”

“Damn. You got me there.”

Niki walked into the room at that moment, with two plates of food. Food that certainly didn’t look like their ration food. “Eat up,” she said lightly, setting the plates down. One had a normal meal of bread and meat for Sapnap. The other held a thick soup.

“Where’d you get the food?” Sapnap asked, immediately on edge.

Niki shrugged absently. “I’ve been hoarding things. And you’d be very surprised at everything you can get away with in the dead of the night.”

He flashed her a grin which she reciprocated carefully. “You’re a lot cooler than I thought you were.”

“What? Just because I don’t look threatening doesn’t mean I’ll just let Schlatt step all over me.”

“Fair point.”

She headed back to the door. “I’ll be right outside if you need me.”

“Thank you!” Karl exclaimed softly, muffled by Sapnap’s shoulder.

He picked up Karl’s plate and the soup. “Open up, big boy,” he encouraged. Karl made a face.

“I can feed myself!” Sapnap laughed at the scandalised tone, handing over the spoon. He then proceeded to swallow down the spoonfuls of soup at a concerning pace.

“Slow down, dude! You’re gonna make yourself sick.” It could _not_ be healthy to eat this much after not eating for three days. Karl’s reply was gargled from the mouthful of soup and Sapnap couldn’t help but laugh at him, looking ridiculous with his cheeks stuffed like a chipmunk’s. “Dork,” he said fondly, and Karl choked out a laugh through the scalding in his throat.

“I’m hungry!” he protested, setting the half-empty bowl down. He looked a little paler, a little more pallid than before and Sapnap had a very distinct feeling that he regretted eating quickly.

“Not anymore you aren’t.” The bowl was cleared away and a bucket was placed next to the bed just in case. “Listen, I’m not gonna say I told you so but—”

“Shut up.”

“I told you—”

Frantic knocking interrupted them. Sapnap leapt up, sword out and ready. Instead of attackers, it was Niki’s voice that descended onto them. “Ponk’s here!” she hissed. Sapnap felt his heart drop to his stomach.

Sapnap whirled around. “Stall!” he called back to her, barely catching her affirmation through the roar of blood around his ears. “I gotta hide you.”

Karl was frozen in fear, unresisting as Sapnap scooped him up and paced around the room, near silent in his leather boots. “It-is Schlatt looking for me?” Karl stammered.

“He won’t fucking find you.” Sapnap made a decision and stuck with it, putting Karl down and moving the bed over to the right slightly. He then dug out the planks underneath and shoved those behind the door, out of view of someone walking in, creating a shallow groove, perfect for a fairly small person to fit and hide in comfortably. “Karl, I need you to get in here please.”

Karl looked from the door to the hole in the floor. A tiny voice in his mind scolded Sapnap for ruining the décor. He didn’t have a choice, really. “Okay,” he whispered, ignoring the way his stomach rolled as he crawled into the tight space. Sapnap leaned forward and gave him a quick, tight hug.

“This won’t be long. I promise,” he said as he moved the bed to cover Karl up completely. He listened until Sapnap’s footsteps had disappeared completely before letting loose a shaky sigh and closing his eyes.

He was alone in the dark again. Hip, hip, honking hooray.

* * *

_Niki smiled, painfully fake at Ponk as she made small-talk, hoping desperately for him to just leave. “What brings you here? Fundy’s at work, isn’t he?” Fear clutched her stomach in its iron fist at the idea of Fundy being caught, Fundy down in those dungeons. Her smile grew wider, more plastic._

_“Yeah, he is,” Ponk said absently, unknowing abating her fears. “But the President demanded for every house to be searched for a fugitive. You know a Karl Jacobs?”_

_Niki hummed. “Can’t say I have. I don’t believe I’ve talked to him enough. What was his crime?”_

_Ponk shuffled around, surprising Niki. He looked surprisingly sheepish. “Well, uh, according to Vice President Quackity, he was arrested for speaking out against new laws.”_

_Now, Niki was a fair-tempered smart young lady. And she knew for a fact that leaders who arrested people over grievances that small did not deserve to be leaders at all. Her blood boiled, remembering the broken ribs, the hollow look in his eyes, the_ pain _he must’ve felt. “Ah. I see.” She tried not to look smug when Ponk cringed at the accusatory tone._

_A set of footsteps, quiet but loud enough to be heard came from within the house. Niki froze up. “You didn’t tell me you had guests over.”_

_The footsteps stopped and quickened, becoming louder. Niki blocked off access to the house, staring Ponk down. Sapnap emerged, wearing only a chestplate of iron. A netherite axe was casually hanging from his belt. The threat it posed was enormous. “Hey Ponk. How are you?”_

_Niki would’ve asked Sapnap what the fuck he thought he was doing, but she had to keep the act up, replastering her smile onto her face. “Sapnap?” Ponk exclaimed as if he were greeting a friend. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”_

_“Uh—”_

_“I’m here to find a runaway. You’re close to Karl Jacobs, aren’t you? So wouldn’t you know where he is?”_

_“Well—”_

_“So what on earth could you be doing here, I wonder?”_

_Niki glanced over to him, wondering what he’d say. She could see the panic in his eyes, so she opened her mouth to save them both, but cut herself off at his next words. “We’re dating,” he finally blurted out in a deadpan._

Ender give me strength, _Niki thought as her life flashed before her eyes. Sapnap draped his arm lightly across her shoulders which steadied her slightly. Ponk’s mouth dropped wide open, which was exactly what Niki was refraining from doing. “You’re_ what?”

_“Dating,” Niki heard herself saying. “Didn’t you hear? We decided to keep it secret, but I suppose the cat’s out of the bag.”_

_Oh good lord, the hole they’d dug was too deep. She could never show her face in society again. She would punch Sapnap if he even_ looked _like he was enjoying this. Ponk look absolutely flabbergasted. “Since_ when?”

_“A few months now. You know, with, uh, the war against Dream and whatnot, Wilbur wouldn’t have been too happy about it all so…yeah,” he finished eloquently._

_“So,” Niki continued, “we kept it quiet for the meantime. No one else knows.” And by the gods she was hoping Ponk didn’t have a loud enough mouth to go and blab about this to everyone else in the goddamn country._

_“Except for me.” He was grinning ear-to-ear._

_“What?” Sapnap snapped, irritated._

_Ponk shook his head. “Oh nothing. It’s just,” he snorted, “Mr ‘Hey mamas’ got together with pastel, bakery girl. It’s so…stupidly cliché.”_

_Niki and Sapnap shared a look which roughly translated to ‘if you don’t kill him first, then I’ll do it’, before proceeding. “Well, it works out,” Sapnap said defensively._

_“Just, please don’t tell anyone. I don’t want Wilbur or any of this—” she waved her hands around for emphasis, “to get in the way of…us.” She was going to fucking throw up._

_“I won’t tell, I promise. But, uh, back to official business, have you seen Karl Jacobs, Sapnap? You two_ are _good friends.”_

 _Sapnap stiffened slightly, but outwardly, his only reaction was the slip of his easy smile and a furrow of his brow. “Have_ you? _I’ve been looking all over for the past three days. I…” he trailed off, and Niki had to commend him for his acting. “I’m worried. For him,” he finished, looking suitably heartbroken._

_Ponk nodded, not in understanding, but in realisation. “Right. Sorry for bothering you. If he’s found, you will be alerted. Sorry again for, er, bothering you two. Have a good day.”_

_“You too!” Niki called after him as he walked away. She then proceeded to, not so gently, push Sapnap inside and slam the door shut. “What the fuck was that?” she asked him, whirling around._

_He went red and buried his face in his hands. “I panicked!” he moaned miserably. “I’m_ sorry!”

 _“Holy fucking_ shit, _Sapnap, what were you thinking?”_

_“I obviously wasn’t!”_

_She bunched up the front of his shirt in his fist. “We don’t talk about this to anyone. The next time Ponk even_ tries _to mention it, one of us kills him on the spot. Understood?”_

_“Understood. Ma’am,” he added quickly._

* * *

Karl didn’t like the dark at _all_. His fear was bad enough before Schlatt. Dark rooms made him feel uneasy, made him feel like he was being watched. It was horrible, sitting there like a duck, waiting for something to creep up on him.

Sapnap only tried to scare him in the dark once. He didn’t do it again.

But now, wedged in a shallow groove under the bed with painful splinters from the broken wood digging into his back, the space only big enough for him to lie completely flat without moving, he felt silent terror crawling up his spine.

He stayed silent, hearing the voices from beyond the door. If he shut his eyes, he could make out tiny bits of the conversation, but not enough to garner a full picture.

 _Breathe,_ he ordered himself, sucking in great, heaving breaths to keep calm. _One, two, three, four…_

Counting didn’t work. His eyes snapped open when the wood creaked around him. His body jolted once, suddenly overcome with the want to _get out get out get out Sapnap please I don’t wanna Sapnap help—_

There was nowhere to go. His limbs twitched desperately, and he fought harder against the weight pinning him down, breathing quickening into hyperventilation. “Sap-Sapnap!” he got out. “Help!” He slammed his hands erratically against the bed above him, only succeeding in reopening old wounds. “ _Help!”_ he cried out again, tears pricking the corners of his eyes.

The bed shifted, and light seeped through a crack at his side. The crack grew wider and wider, and light obscured Karl’s blurry vision, blinding him momentarily. A shape hovered above him.

Hands reached toward him, toward his neck _his neck his heck oh god Schlatt was going to kill him no no no no no please—_

Karl shrieked, flailing his hands as he twisted his body to try to escape. Someone was shouting words that he couldn’t discern from the buzzing in his head. Someone gripped his wrists tightly, wrenched his hands away from his face.

“Stop! Hey—down!” Scattered voices broke through the cloud. _It was Schlatt it was Schlatt it was Schlatt it was Schlatt._ His name was being called out. Karl couldn’t breathe. Why couldn’t he breathe?

Oh right. Schlatt.

“Breathe! You—breathe! –on!”

Breathe. He couldn’t. Not now, when there was a weight pressing down on his chest, choking him, constricting him _help help help help help_

“Karl please!” The voice was disembodied, muffled under haze but he could still make out the desperation. Hands pressed his head into something broad and soft. A shirt. Underneath the fabric, he could make out the _bu-bum bu-bum_ of a heartbeat.

He sucked in a shallow breath, choking on it and released it before he could go into a coughing fit. Someone above him, someone with a gentler voice, quietly sang praises. “Again,” it encouraged. The chest he was leaning on rose and fell, so he decided to copy it, trying to match the deep breathing as best as he could. The fog cleared slightly, and he could make out Sapnap holding him. “Keep going, Karl.” Niki was kneeling in front of him. “That’s it. Would you like another potion?”

He shook his head blearily, burrowing his face in Sapnap’s chest and gripping the white shirt tightly. “You’re okay, Jacobs,” Sapnap said softy, rubbing at his back and rocking back and forth. Something simmered under his tone. “He won’t touch you as long as I’m here.”

He nodded against his friend, drying the tears on his face in the shirt. It was no use. More just kept coming. His shoulders shook with the effort of holding in his tears, but the dam broke despite his efforts. He sobbed into Sapnap’s chest, whole body shuddering and trembling.

Sapnap held him tighter, rocking a little faster now. “It’s okay, it’s okay, Karl, it’s alright,” he chanted, over and over. “You’ll be okay, I swear.”

* * *

_“Gotta say, Ponk. I’m suspicious.”_

_Schlatt didn’t turn around from his position surveying his land from a tinted window. People milled about the streets, chatting amongst each other. They all looked worse for wear, tired and hungry and terrified. Not about the creepers either._

_“About what, sir?” Ponk sat tall and proud next to Quackity, who seemed to be shrinking in on himself. George sat on the other side of Ponk, looking terse._

_Schlatt glanced at George’s expression in the glass. “Sapnap and Niki fought a war against each other. He killed her fox. What kind of partner does that, Ponk?”_

_Fundy, panicking, raised his hands. “They might’ve gotten together afterwards?”_

_Ponk frowned. “They said they’d been together for a few months now.”_

Fuck. _Fundy glanced over at George discreetly. “Might’ve been a couples’ fight,” he protested, the argument sounding weak even to him._

_Schlatt grinned wide. “Is there something you’re hiding from me, Fundy?”_

_“No.”_

_Frozen in his seat, Fundy stared down at the dark oak table. George cleared his throat. “Ponk. Are you aware of the inner workings of their relationship?” he asked, uttering the first words since the meeting had started. Ponk shook his head. “Can you tell me exactly when they got together? Or what their relationship is like?”_

_Again, he shook his head. “You know something that we don’t, George?” Schlatt growled._

_George scoffed. “Of course. I was friends with Sapnap. We lived together. I know more than you do.”_

_“I thought you had no contact with him for the last few weeks,” Schlatt said._

_George’s mouth went dry. “I haven’t. But I know him better than you. And I say we trust him.”_

_“So do I!” Fundy blurted out._

_Schlatt and Ponk glanced at each other, at George and Fundy and finally, at Quackity, who’d been mostly silent. “What about you? You’re the tiebreaker.”_

_Head snapping up to attention, Quackity looked around at the room, at Fundy’s pleading expression and at the dangerous look in Schlatt’s eyes. He swallowed nervously, hands fidgeting in his lap. “I, uh, I say we go check it out?” he said meekly. He shifted, trying to move his wings to a better position from inside the suit. They’d stopped aching from being cramped up weeks ago. That wasn’t a good thing either._

_He ignored George’s furious glare burning holes into his head, ignored Fundy’s little gasp which was quickly covered up by a cough. He flinched when Schlatt (when had he started moving?) clapped a hand on his shoulder. “Then it’s sealed. We go to Fundy’s place in an hour.” The glint in his eyes turned hard. “Ponk. Do not let our foxy friend out of your sight. Same with George.”_

_“Yessir.”_

_“And, uh, Quackity. Come with me to my office.” The grip on his shoulder grew tighter. Quackity’s stomach plummeted. He’d forgotten to do half of his paperwork that morning. Cold panic washed over him in a dizzying spell. He felt himself standing, felt himself turning around._

_“Okay sir,” he mumbled, letting himself be led out of the room._

* * *

The air in the house was still tense. Niki and Sapnap danced around each other awkwardly, taking turns to look after Karl while waiting in anticipation for Fundy to show up after the workday. Anxiety buzzed within the walls of the home as a universal fear was brought to light. An unsaid question that hung around like a stubborn stain.

_What if Fundy’s been caught?_

Karl couldn’t sit still, despite having been relocated to the common room. Niki had crossed her arms and stared him down when he tried to stand up to fetch water himself, and hadn’t moved until he was laying back down. He was partially glad for it though. Everything still hurt, despite regularly taking healing potions.

A shriek startled him and Sapnap, however. Sapnap jumped in front of him, sword already out and ready to battle. He lowered it, though, when Niki’s expression morphed into one of jubilation. “It’s Fundy! He’s alive!”

A collective sigh of relief passed through the room. “Thank honk,” Sapnap muttered, relaxing. The calm was then punctuated with a sharp gasp because things could never be simple here, could they?

Niki whirled around, newly alit horror in her eyes and face. “Sapnap, get Karl and get out!” she hissed. “Schlatt’s here!” she continued as Sapnap opened his mouth to ask. A mixture of emotion flickered over his face in a very small span of time.

Karl’s next breath rattled on its way out and it was seemingly that which got Sapnap to move. He picked up Karl and sprinted in the other direction, wielding an axe while Karl held on for dear life.

Sapnap was hellbent on getting the two of them out of there, passing the corridor right to the other end of the house, in a large, dimly lit, storage room. He immediately began hacking away at the wooden walls, with some difficulty because of Karl clinging to him tightly.

_Thwap! Thwap! Thwap!_

One after the other, the sounds filled the small room. As the wood finally gave way, giving them a small opening to squeeze through, the front door opened, and voices began to murmur from behind them.

He pushed Karl through first naturally, throwing himself forward as soon as he could and popping out into a cool, breezy night. The stars twinkled above them, the moon nowhere in sight. The darkness covered the place like a blanket, broken up occasionally with the flickering light of a torch.

Sapnap pressed his back against the outer wall of the house, eyes set forward on the tree-line. He could escape into the forests nearby, could hide out for a week until everything had simmered down. Schlatt wouldn’t keep up the chase for that long.

Hopefully.

Gathering Karl together properly, holding him bridal style, he began silently walking away, eyes shifting around to examine the shadows that moved. A creeper, a skeleton, a zombie, a person. Any of them could mean death.

A click signifying the loading of a crossbow made them both freeze up. “Shit,” Sapnap whispered into the thin air. Karl pressed his face against his chest, hiding the helpless tears gathering in his eyes. Schlatt’s laughter, coming from the front of the house was muffled.

“Turn around,” Punz said from behind them calmly. “Walk to the front slowly.”

With no other choice, Sapnap did as he was told, teeth grinding together as his eyes shifted about looking for an exit. He met up with Niki, looking terrified, and Fundy right beside her. Both held their hands up in the air, completely at the mercy of Ponk, Quackity and…

“George?” Sapnap breathed.

George did nothing. Didn’t even look at him.

“Well, well, well, gentlemen. What were you doing, sneaking out like that?” Schlatt asked, standing next to Quackity, almost playfully. Sapnap, to his credit, didn’t answer, staring down at his shoes, screaming at himself to not make it any worse than it already was. “No answer, huh?”

He stepped forward. Sapnap stepped back, muscles locking into place when his skin met the sharp tip of an arrow. “ _What?”_ he snapped, anger masking the fear. Not fear for himself, no. Sapnap was not afraid of death. He wasn’t afraid of Schlatt. But Karl was. And he wouldn’t let Schlatt do _anything_ to Karl.

Schlatt held up his hands bemusedly. “Jesus Christ, I just wanna see the guy,” he said placatingly, nodding at Karl who was still nuzzled up against Sapnap’s chest. “Hey buddy,” he cooed. “Come on out, yeah? I just wanna talk.”

The shivering got worse. But Karl moved his head to the side, revealing bloodshot eyes ringed with dark circles and darker bruises that were still healing. His cheekbones were sucked in, the rest of his face pale and drawn. When he spoke, it was barely a tremulous whisper. “What do you w-want?”

“There he is!” Schlatt exclaimed with the energy of a proud father seeing his kid talk for the first time. “How’ve you been, bud?”

Karl couldn’t get his throat to work properly, couldn’t quite get the air to reach his lungs right. Sapnap noticed this immediately. “He asked you a question Schlatt,” he said, ignoring how the arrow point dug in deeper. “Answer it!”

“Chill out, Sappitus.” With an unpleasant smile, he gestured to the weapons drawn, to Fundy and Niki. “Don’t want anything, uh, _unsavoury_ to happen, do you?”

No. No, he didn’t. Not with four lives on the line. Possibly five, if Sapnap counted George.

(He didn’t.)

“Don’t tell me to chill out,” Sapnap said anyway, despite the danger. George’s gaze snapped up to meet his. It was almost pleading.

A crossbow bolt skimmed the fabric of his right arm, ripping a small hole through it. Sapnap flinched. Karl gasped sharply. “Don’t talk back to me like that. Respect your elders, kid.” Sapnap’s blood _boiled_ , but the look on Niki’s face was enough to properly shut him up. “Hey, Quackity. What do _you_ think we should do with these traitors? Execute them? Imprison them? Exile them?”

He laughed nervously, fingering the collar of his suit jacket. “Isn’t that your decision, sir?” he tried.

Schlatt only shook his head, amused. “I thought you wanted more choice in running Manberg?” The tone was teasing, lilting. Quackity’s face went pale but he set his jaw determinedly.

“I…” he looked around at them. Something underneath the back of his jacket squirmed. Sapnap could conjure a vague memory of fluffy, white wings and wondered why he was crushing them under his clothes. “I mean, Karl didn’t…he didn’t really do anything _bad_ to begin with?”

Anger flashed briefly across Schlatt’s face. “Didn’t he now?”

“He asked why we changed the food rations and then asked if we could undo it because it could’ve been bad for him,” Quackity countered.

Huffing, Schlatt turned his attention onto his vice. “I count questioning my judgement a crime.”

“It’s not in the book.”

“The _what_ now?”

The ghost of a smile flickered across Quackity’s lips. “The law book. That big, black leather-bound book which we wrote all our laws in for every citizen in Manberg. I read it through twice after you imprisoned Karl. It doesn’t say anything about being locked up for speaking up.”

“Then change it!”

“We can’t.”

George interjected before Schlatt could strangle Quackity. “One of the rules we put up was that all three of us had to agree to the law, _with no outside interferenc_ e, wholeheartedly.”

Schlatt scoffed. “I passed that ration one, didn’t I?”

“Yes,” George continued patronisingly, “because I wasn’t there. Your status as president overrides Quackity’s, but the same can’t be said when all three of us are here together. But now that I’m back, we have to review that law.” He dared a side-glance at Quackity. “So, technically, you’re the criminal here.”

_Oh how the turns have tabled._

The president grit his teeth, exasperation showing through. “Shut the fuck up, George,” he spat. “You’re barely here enough to actually _work_!” An arrow was loaded into Schlatt’s own crossbow. Sapnap had heard a rumour somewhere that Schlatt only ever used poisoned arrows, so death was slower.

He was hoping the rumour wasn’t true for their sakes.

“Do _not,”_ George hissed when the arrow tip was pointed straight at Karl’s shoulder. Punz raised his sword, blocking George’s path.

Schlatt laughed it off. “Thought we’d gotten over these fickle attachments, Georgie.” The crossbow was loaded, was steadied, aimed for Karl. Something came over Sapnap. As the bolt fired, he ducked and curled around Karl protectively—

A hand, quicker than a flash, pushed the crossbow off course. The bolt shot at a nearby bush, missing its mark completely. Schlatt turned to the offender, a stunned Quackity, and hit him once across the cheek with the smooth metal. He yelped, head snapping to one side.

“Sapnap!” George yelled.

“I’m alright, I’m alright!” he reassured, voice high with shock. Karl stared at the man who’d just saved his life, mouthed a _thank you_ when their eyes met.

Quackity looked away, eyes already blank and trained on the ground.

George grabbed Schlatt’s arm and tugged him hard, so that he was leaning toward the president’s ear and began to whisper into it furiously. He watched something in Schlatt’s eyes change. Something more guarded sprung up.

“He wouldn’t,” he heard Schlatt mutter viciously. George shook his head gravelly, eyes alit with a storm.

“Do you know him better than I do, Schlatt?”

No response to that. A silent signal passed, and Ponk and Punz lowered their weapons. Fundy sighed, drooping slightly. Schlatt clapped a hand on Quackity’s shoulder, and no one missed the way he recoiled. “Fundy, I expect you in office tomorrow an hour early,” he said gruffly. “You two—“ he turned to Sapnap and Karl, “consider yourselves lucky,” he snarled. Sapnap raised his hackles right back. “And Niki…yeah no, nothing for you tonight. C’mon.”

Quackity was forcefully spun around, head bowed and with Ponk on one side. Punz trailed after him, a little bit back. George nodded once at Sapnap and sped off to join the entourage.

“Was that it?” Fundy whispered.

Niki nodded, leaning against the wall of the house. “I think so.” She stared at her feet. “We won,” she said hollowly.

Sapnap just hugged Karl tight and said nothing.

* * *

Hours later, George was near asleep on his next, going through all of the paperwork he’d missed out on his ‘mining trip’. Schlatt wanted it all done before he went to bed. That was his little punishment.

He had it good, and George knew that. Immunity had granted him much less pain than Quackity, who’d gone into Schlatt’s office…two hours ago and hadn’t come out since. The thick walls made it impossible to tell what actually went on in there, but George had a feeling that it was worse than what he was imagining.

**_Quackity was slain by JSchlatt_ **

George sighed in relief seeing the message, and stood up, rolling the cricks out of his neck. He needed to fetch some food for when Quackity woke up from respawn. He grimaced at how long it would inevitably take.

A cackle coming from the president’s office was all George needed to get moving.

* * *

Three days later and Karl was properly on the mend. Schlatt hadn’t lessened his grip on the food supply, but hey, it was better then starving to death in a cell. And Niki’s stash, plus anything they were able to hunt outside the walls helped a bunch.

It was a clear day. A nice day. Despite the week’s horrors, Karl wanted to enjoy it.

His communicator bleeped with a message that resounded across the whole country.

**_Ph1LzA joined the game_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i've never watched a single video by ponk and it shows. also, this work, as mentioned before, is a prequel. the immediate sequel to this one is the first fic in this series, 'i used to see the way the world could be'.
> 
> leave a comment or kudos if you enjoyed! thank you for reading :)

**Author's Note:**

> poor, poor karl :(
> 
> also can y'all come up with new names for former 'manberg'. i'll pick the one i like best. please, im so bad at naming.


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